National League Pennant (1945)

Lore & Background

The Curse of the Billy Goat was a curse on the Chicago Cubs that was started in 1945 and ended in 2016. As the story goes, Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant who owned a nearby tavern, had two $7.20 box seat tickets to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, and decided to bring along his pet goat, Murphy (or Sinovia according to some references). The goat wore a blanket with a sign pinned to it which read 'We got Detroit's goat'. Sianis and the goat were allowed into Wrigley Field and even paraded about on the playing field before the game before ushers intervened and led them off the field. After a heated argument, both Sianis and the goat were permitted to stay in the stadium occupying the box seat for which he had tickets. At this point, Andy Frain waved the goat's box-seat ticket in the air and proclaimed, 'If he eats the ticket that would solve everything.' However, the goat did not. Before the game was over, it started to rain and Sianis and the goat were ejected from the stadium at the command of Cubs owner Philip Knight Wrigley due to the objectionable odor of wet goat. Sianis was outraged at the ejection and allegedly placed a curse upon the Cubs that they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again because the Cubs organization had insulted his goat, and subsequently left the U.S. to vacation in his home in Greece. The Cubs lost Game 4 and eventually the 1945 World Series, prompting Sianis to write to Wrigley from Greece, saying, 'Who stinks now?' The Cubs would eventually break the curse and what would turn out to be a 108-year drought by winning the World Series in 2016 over the Cleveland Indians in seven games.

In Their Own Story

Autumn air swept off Lake Michigan, carrying the chill of October and the heavy silence of a city still healing from war. Inside Wrigley Field, shadows stretched long across the diamond as Phil Cavarretta tipped his cap, watching a crowd that wasn't just cheering for baseball, but clinging to a shred of normalcy. When the final out of the pennant-clinching game was recorded, the roar that shook the ivy-covered walls felt different—less like a celebration and more like a collective exhale. It was a victory bought with sacrifice, a banner raised by men who had done their duty, even as the looming darkness of the World Series suggested that the final curtain call would have to wait for another generation.

Reader's Guide

The 1945 Chicago Cubs season included a regular season, World Series, and farm system. The regular season standings, record vs. opponents, roster, player stats (batting and pitching), and World Series game details are documented in the source.

Did You Know?

• The Cubs won the National League pennant with a record of 98–56, 3 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals.
• This was the Cubs' last postseason appearance until 1984.
• It would take 71 years before the Cubs made it to another World Series.
• The Curse of the Billy Goat allegedly began after Billy Sianis and his goat were ejected from Game 4 of the 1945 World Series.